Legends: Rebirth-The Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion

[The Bandit King]

Episode 57: The Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion

The camera winds and twists its way through a thick jungle of strange and exotic plants.  After a few wrong turns, it finally stops in front of an ancient Mayan temple.  At the base of the temple, a giant stone head sits.  Suddenly, a torch on either side of the head begins burning.  The head’s eyes light up, and it begins to speak:

“Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth!”  These words appear on the screen.  “With your guide, Kirk Fogg!  And here he is now!”

A middle-aged man wearing a denim shirt and blue jeans rides in on an ATV.  He dismounts the vehicle and runs up the Steps of Knowledge, microphone in hand.

“Thank you!  Thank you very much!  Nice to see everyone!  Nice to see you, Olmec!  Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth.  The rooms are filled with lost treasures protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards.  Only Olmec knows the legends behind each of these all-new treasures in his temple…which one are we gonna hear about today?”

“The legend of the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion,” Olmec replies.

“Ah, the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion,” Kirk repeats.  “Well, the legend is set, and one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the Rose-Adorned Hairpin—will it be:

“The Red Jaguars?”  The camera zooms in on each team as they are introduced.
“The Blue Barracudas?
“The Green Monkeys?
“The Orange Iguanas?
“The Purple Parrots?
“Or the Silver Snakes?

“They’ll have to pass some tough physical and mental tests, but in the end, only one of these teams will have the right to enter Olmec’s Temple.  But first, they have to cross the Moat, and Olmec’s gonna tell them how they have to do that today…”

Olmec begins to explain the Moat Crossing:
“Before you, several rock formations stick out from the Moat.  Closer to you float the remains of an ancient raft.  When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will jump into the water and balance the raft, and the other player will step onto the raft itself.  Then, kick your way across the Moat, avoiding the rocks along the way.  If you hit a rock formation, or the second player falls or touches their partner, you must both go back and begin again.  Once you reach the other side, step off the raft, help your partner out of the water, run over and hit the gong.”  Kirk hits the Silver Snakes’ gong to demonstrate.  “The first four teams to hit their gongs are going on to the next round!”

“All right, let’s get started,” Kirk says.  “Teams, are you ready?”
The teams all scream and cheer in response.
“Olmec, are you ready?”
“Ready, willing and able,” Olmec replies.
“Okay,” says Kirk.  “On your mark, get set, GO!”

The boys from each team slide into the water and hold on to the foam rafts as the girls step onto them and hold on tight as the boys start kicking across.  The Blue Barracudas and Red Jaguars take a slight lead in the first few seconds, and no one falls off until they reach the first boulder-shaped obstacle, when the Green Monkeys’ girl topples off her raft and into the Moat.  “Whoa, she falls hard!” says Kirk as the other five teams begin to make their way around the boulder.  “Everyone else looks to be in good shape, though!”  The teams all make it around the boulder, with the Blue Barracudas, Red Jaguars and Orange Iguanas about half-foot in front of the other two teams that are still kicking away.  The Green Monkeys have made it to the boulder again, but the boy hits the boulder with his raft, so the team is sent back.  The other five teams are now trying to pass through the rock arch, and after a suspenseful moment where the Blue Barracudas’ girl almost falls off, they all make it.  The Red Jaguars reach the other side first, and the girl steps off the raft and helps her partner out of the water before they hit their gong.  “Oh, it’s gonna be close for these last three spots!” says Kirk as the others all reach the bank at about the same time.  They all scramble out, and the Blue Barracudas, Silver Snakes and Orange Iguanas all hit their gongs, with the Purple Parrots missing out by only about a second.

“That’s it—we’ve got four teams, right there!” says Kirk as he runs over to stand beside the Silver Snakes.  “Silver Snakes got over here no problem, and goin’ on to the Steps of Knowledge are the Silver Snakes…and the Orange Iguanas…”  Kirk pauses between each team’s name to allow applause.  “…and the Blue Barracudas…and the Red Jaguars!  The Green Monkeys and the Purple Parrots gave it a good try, and they’re not going home empty-handed.  We’ve got a great gift for them, and here’s what it is!”  They receive a $50 gift certificate from Pacsun.

[The Bandit King]

Kirk and the remaining four teams are now standing atop the Steps of Knowledge.  “As the quest continues, it’s now time for Olmec to tell us about the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bouillon.  But teams, pay attention, because your knowledge of the legend could bring you a step closer to Olmec’s Temple…”

Olmec begins to tell the story:
“One of the toughest outlaws of the Old West was a woman named Laura Bullion.  No one is quite sure where Laura was born, but some people say she was born in Kentucky, and later moved to Texas.  Her father was a bank robber, and when Laura was only a teenager, she joined up with the Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy’s legendary band of outlaws.  But legend has it that Butch and the other men were not so keen on accepting a female comrade.
“‘I’m all for lettin’ ladies do what they want, but this is goofier than a pet coon,’ said Butch.  ‘No offense to ‘ya, Miss, but lettin’ a female in the bunch jus’ ain’t what we got in mind.’
“‘Durn tootin’,’ said Butch’s partner, the Sundance Kid.  ‘We can’t have some sissy lil’ girl holdin’ us down.’
“‘Who you callin’ a sissy, you sissy?’ Laura asked Sundance.  ‘I can out-shoot, out-fight, and out-drink any man I darn well please!’
“Just then, Laura’s boyfriend, Ben ‘the Tall Texan’ Kilpatrick stepped forward.
“‘Fellas, I know Laurie here’s a woman, but I happen to know she’s just as tough as any man.  Why, any man I know’d be glad to have Laurie backin’ him up!’
“‘Ben, yer word’s good enough for me,’ said Butch.  ‘Welcome to the group, Miss Laurie.’
“And so, Butch Cassidy and the others accepted Laura into the Wild Bunch, soon finding her to be a welcome addition to the gang.  Because of her youth, spunk, and the fact that she was the only woman in the gang, the men often called her “the Rose of the Wild Bunch”, and she often wore a hairpin decorated with a red rose to reflect that nickname.  Laura retired from the outlaw life in 1905, but she kept her hairpin as a reminder of her wild days as an outlaw.  When she died, her hairpin disappeared…until now.  Your quest is to find the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion and bring it back here.”

“Thanks, Olmec,” Kirk says.  “But tell us, where is…the Hairpin?”

“The Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion can be found in the Chamber of the Four Elements,” Olmec replies.  The camera zooms in on a small hairpin decorated with a large red silk rose sitting on the railing of the room before fading back to Kirk.

“All right,” says Kirk.  “Teams, you’re now standing on the Steps of Knowledge.  In a few seconds, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question.  If you know the answer, stomp down on that ancient marking in front of you.  If you’re correct, you can move down to the next level, but if you’re wrong or you run out of time, I’m gonna give the other teams a chance.”  Kirk begins descending the Steps.  “The first two teams to make it down to the bottom level will be one step closer to Olmec’s Temple.  Olmec…we’re now ready for your first question.”

Olmec begins:
“Was Laura Bullion known for being: a sheriff, a dance girl, or an outlaw?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in.  “An outlaw.”
“That is correct,” replies Olmec.  The Blue Barracudas proceed to the second step.
“Step down, Blue Barracudas,” says Kirk.  “Next question, Olmec.”

“What flower was Laura known for wearing: a carnation—”
The Red Jaguars ring in early.  “Rose—a rose?”
“That is correct,” Olmec responds.  The Red Jaguars step down to the second level.
“Now the Red Jaguars step down,” says Kirk.  “Next question.”

“Was Laura called: ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas’, ‘The Rose of the Wild Bunch’, or ‘The Queen—”
The Blue Barracudas ring in again.  “The…the Rose of the Wild Bunch?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec replies.  The Blue Barracudas proceed to the next-to-last step.
“Nice—the Blue Barracudas are just one step away now,” says Kirk.  “We need two teams, though—next question.”

“Which outlaw is Laura most associated with: Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, or Belle Star?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in as the third choice is being given.  “Butch Cassidy?”
“That is correct!” Olmec booms.  The Blue Barracudas advance to the bottom step.
“And we’ve got our first team for the Temple Games!” says Kirk as the Blue Barracudas high-five one another.  “We still need one more, though—who’s it gonna be?  Olmec, next question.”

“What other outlaw was Butch Cassidy’s partner: Billy the Kid, the Sundance Kid, or—”
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “The Sundance Kid?”
“That is correct,” says Olmec.  The Orange Iguanas proceed to the second step.
“Orange Iguanas are on the board now,” says Kirk.  “Next question.”

“Was Butch Cassidy’s band of outlaws known as: Butch’s Bandits, The Wild Bunch, or The Brady Bunch?”
After a few seconds, the Silver Snakes ring in.  “The Wild Bunch…?”
“That is correct,” says Olmec.  The Silver Snakes join the other two teams on the second step.
“We have a three-way tie on the second step,” says Kirk.  “We still need one more teams…next question.”

“Which member of The Wild Bunch was Laura’s boyfriend: John Daly, Ben Kilpatrick, or Patrick Swayze?”
The Red Jaguars ring in and guess.  “Um…John Daly?”
“Incorrect,” Olmec replies.
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “Ben…Ben Ka-Patrick?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec responds.  The Orange Iguanas proceed to the next-to-last level.
“The Orange Iguanas are just one step away now,” says Kirk.  “Still time for our other teams, though…next question, Olmec.”

“Was Ben also known as: the Cisco Kid, the Tall Texan, or the Fair Floridian?”
The Silver Snakes ring in.  “The Tall…Tall Texan?”
“That is correct,” says Olmec.  The Silver Snakes join the Orange Iguanas on the penultimate step.
“Yeah, he’s a tall, tall Texan,” says Kirk.  “And now the Orange Iguanas are one step away from the Temple Games.  Still time for the Red Jaguars, though…next question."

“Which of these were famous guns that many Old West outlaws used: pea-shooters, six-shooters, or sling-shooters?”
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “Six-shooters!”
“That is correct!” declares Olmec, and the Orange Iguanas leap down to join the Blue Barracudas on the bottom step.

“We’ve got our two teams for the Temple Games,” says Kirk as he rushes over and stands between them.  “They are the Blue Barracudas, and the Orange Iguanas!  Nice job by both teams!  Red Jaguars and the Silver Snakes did great, too.  You guys, come over here…you’re not going home empty-handed; we’ve got a great gift for you, and here it is!”  They receive a backpack from Outdoor Products.

Kirk is now seen standing between the two teams.  “These two teams are going to compete for the right to enter Olmec’s Temple, and they’ll do it right after this!”

The camera flies over Kirk and the teams and zooms in on a plastic lizard at the bottom of Olmec.  An unseen off-screen hand moves the lizard to the left slightly before lunging it at the camera.  The title then appears onscreen, and we go to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to find Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the two remaining teams.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he welcomes us.  “Now, the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest…

“So let’s hear it for Joe and Lindsey of the Blue Barracudas!”  The audience applauds for the medium-height blue-eyed girl with long, curly auburn hair and the slightly taller brown-eyed boy with scraggly dirty-blond hair.

“And Rodney and Cherish of the Orange Iguanas!”  The audience claps for the average-height African-American girl with dark brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair and the taller blue-eyed boy with spiky black hair.

“All right, are you guys ready to play?” asks Kirk.

“Yeah!” they reply.

“All right, then…go get ready for the Temple Games,” says Kirk.  “Now, in the Temple Games, our teams are competing for…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from his pouch and holds it up to the camera.  “…Pendants of Life.  The winners will need the Pendants to protect them from the dreaded Temple guards as they make their way through the Temple.  There are three Temple Games, and Olmec is about to tell us all about Temple Game #1…”

The black lights under Olmec come on and he begins to explain the first Game:
“Laura Bullion claimed that she could out-fight and out-shoot any man she wanted to, and she proved it many times as a member of the Wild Bunch.  In this game, your accuracy will be tested—just not with a gun.  Before you lies a target with nine compartments.  When Kirk gives the signal, place a ball between your legs, swing out, and drop it inside one of the chambers.  Then swing back, grab another ball and try again.  The first player to fill all nine compartments, or…the team that fills the most chambers in sixty seconds…wins.”

“All right, time to see how good their aim is,” remarks Kirk.  “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock!”  The clock slams down in the bottom right-hand corner, set for one minute.  “On your mark, get set, GO!”

The spotters place a ball between both Cherish’s and Lindsey’s feet, and both girls swing out to the target.  They both score on their first shot, with Lindsey getting a dead-center shot and Cherish filling up the middle-right compartment.  Both girls hit two more targets without getting any balls in the same place until about one-third into the game, when Cherish drops another ball in the middle-right spot.  On their next go-around, Lindsey drops a ball in her already filled bottom-center spot while Cherish filling up the top-center space.  The girls go back and forth like this, with one getting a ball in previously occupied spaces while the other fills up an empty space.  They remain neck-and-neck until the game ends.

“Okay, that’s it!” says Kirk as he appears back onscreen.  “Stop right there—let’s look and see how we did here.”  Kirk looks inside the Blue Barracudas’ target first.  “The Blue Barracudas filled up one, two, three, four, five spaces.  And the Orange Iguanas filled up…one, two, three, four!  The Blue Barracudas get the half Pendant of Life!”  The audience applauds for a few seconds.  “The Orange Iguanas can catch up in this next Temple Game.  It’s also worth a half Pendant—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”

Olmec begins:
“Because the boys called her ‘the Rose of the Wild Bunch’, Laura often wore a rose in her hair.  However, she was very particular, and only wore red roses.  In this game, you’ll be searching for some of those red roses.  When Kirk gives the signal, propel yourself up to the net, climb up to one of the compartments around the edge, and break open the compartment.  If the rose you find is red, come back down and place it in your bin; otherwise, throw it aside and break open another compartment.  The first team to find all four red roses, or…the team with the most red roses at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“Every rose has its thorn,” says Kirk.  “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock!”  The clock slams down in the corner, all set to go.  “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Joe and Rodney launch themselves up to the net and begin climbing to the outer part of it.  Joe heads straight for the top of the net, while Rodney prefers to head to the sides.  The first compartment each boy breaks open contains a white rose, so they discard it and keep searching.  Joe finds a red rose in the next cubbyhole he breaks open, so he heads down and places it in his bin with 44 seconds left.  Rodney finds a red rose soon afterward, and ties up the game with 35 seconds on the clock.  Joe finds his second red rose and drops it in his bin with 26 seconds to go, but Rodney isn’t having such good luck—he goes through three compartments before finding another red rose, which he brings down and places with fifteen seconds left.  A few seconds go by before anyone finds any more red flowers, but Joe finds a third one with nine seconds on the clock, which he scrambles down and places in his bin with two seconds left.  Time expires soon afterward.

“That’s it!” says Kirk as he runs back onscreen.  “Come down here, guys, and let’s see how you did.”  Kirk kneels beside the baskets.  “The Blue Barracudas got…one, two, three red roses.  And the Orange Iguanas got…one, two red roses, so the Blue Barracudas get the half Pendant of Life!”  The audience applauds for a few seconds.  “So now, the Blue Barracudas are ahead, one Pendant to nothing.  Now, we go to the third and final Temple Game.  It’s worth a full Pendant—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3…”

Olmec begins to explain the final Game:
“To fund the Wild Bunch, Laura often took some of the materials the men stole and sold it for a profit.  In this game, you’ll be exchanging some goods with your partner.  When Kirk gives the signal, place a gold coin on your head and slide out to the opposite ledge, where your partner will take the coin and exchange it for an ear of corn.  Then, your partner will stick it to their head, slide out to your ledge, and place the corn in your bin.  The first team to get four ears of corn in their bin, or…the team with the most ears of corn at the end of sixty seconds wins!”

“All right, time to do a little trading,” says Kirk.  “Set the clock for sixty seconds, please!”  The clock slams down in the corner with a loud gong.  “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Both boys stick a gold coin to their Velcro-coated helmet, grab onto the zipline above them, and slide out to their partners on the ledge opposite them.  The girls then grab the coin and place it in the bin, where a plastic ear of corn is waiting.  Lindsey gets stuck about halfway along the rope, allowing Cherish to take a slight lead with 45 seconds left.  Lindsey gets unstuck and makes it to her ledge, dropping her corn in her bin with 38 seconds left, then sticks her team’s second gold coin to her helmet.  The game continues like this, and neither team makes any major mistakes; however, Lindsey periodically gets stuck in the middle of her zipline due to her short size, costing her team time and allowing the Orange Iguanas to pull slightly ahead.  Joe is just dropping his second ear of corn in his team’s bin as time expires.

“That’s it, time’s up,” says Kirk as he appears back onscreen.  “Bring the bins down here—come down here, guys, we’ll see how we did.”  A spotter hands the bins down to Kirk, and he begins to count.  “The Blue Barracudas got—one, two ears of corn.  And the Orange Iguanas have…one, two, three ears of corn!  The Orange Iguanas get the full Pendant!  That gives them one; the Blue Barracudas also have one—we’ve got a tie!  Bring in the tiebreaker pedestal!”

A spotter wheels in the tiebreaker pedestal, and the teams stand behind it.  Kirk stands beside them as he begins to explain the rules:
“All right, teams, here’s what’s gonna happen.  In just a moment, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question.  If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you.  You’ll have three seconds to answer, and I must accept your first response.  The first team to buzz in and answer the question correctly will be going inside the Temple in search of the Rose-Adorned Hairpin.  All clear?”  The teams nod in response.  “Okay…Olmec, what is your final question?”

Olmec begins to ask the final question of the day:
“Which of these women was another famous outlaw of the Old West: Annie Oakley, Molly Pitcher, or Belle Starr?”

The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “Annie Oakley…?” Rodney guesses.

“That is incorrect,” Olmec replies.

“All right, Blue Barracudas, do you have a guess?” Kirk asks.

“…Belle Starr?” says Joe.

“That…is correct!”

“The Blue Barracudas are going to the Temple!” Kirk exclaims as Lindsey jumps up and down and Joe applauds politely.  “Orange Iguanas, you guys did great, too—it came down to the wire at the end.  We’ve got a great gift for you guys, and here’s what it is!”  They receive a custom-made Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth watch.

As the prize disappears off-screen, Kirk is seen standing beside the Blue Barracudas with his hand on Joe’s shoulder.

“Now we’ll see if the Blue Barracudas can make it through Olmec’s Temple; retrieve the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the Hairpin as the title appears onscreen, and we go to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to see Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the winning team.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says.  “The Blue Barracudas have proven themselves worthy, and now are primed and ready to enter Olmec’s Temple.  But first, Olmec will give them some information to help them retrieve the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion…”

Olmec begins to explain the Temple layout as the camera gives us a first-person runthrough of the Temple:
“You could start…by running up the stairs to the Crypt!  Grab the book from the skeletons, and pass into the Bottomless Pit.  Swing across the gap, and climb into the Lookout Tower.  Focus the telescope to read the ancient print on the far wall, and a door may open into the Geographer’s Study.  Find the missing pieces of the map and correctly place them, and pass into the Shaolin Dojo.  Place the yin-yang on the correct suit of armor, and open the door to the SHRIIIINE of the Silver Monkey!  Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Lightning Ball Room!  Connect the power cords to create your own lightning, which will blast open the door to the Pharaoh’s Secret Passage.  Slide down the tunnel to the Dungeon, where you could smash through the wall into the Dark Forest…but beware of the Temple Guards that may inhabit the trees!  Find the key in the tree, and you’ll enter the Chamber…of the Four Elements.  Place the elements in the correct order, and you’ll gain entry to the Jewel Mine!  Place all the jewels into the mine cart, then…race through the Pit, climb through the Ledges, rrrrace down the stairs and back through the Temple Gate!  The choices are yours and yours alone!”  Olmec pauses.  “You won 1 Pendant in the Temple Games.  Who’s going first?”

“I am,” says Lindsey, raising her hand.

“Very well, Lindsey,” Olmec replies.  “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the Gates into the Temple and make your way toward the Rose-Adorned Hairpin.  Hidden inside the Temple are Temple Guards assigned to protect three specific rooms.  You can trade your Pendant for an extra life and go on, but…if you’re caught without a Pendant, you’ll be taken out of the Temple, and it’ll be Joe’s turn to enter and try his luck.  If you can reach the Hairpin, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish.  Return through the Gate with the Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion in three minutes, and you will both be handsomely rewarded: and here’s how!”

• Just for making it to the Temple, they’ll get a sports package from Outdoor Products.
• If they can reach the Hairpin within three minutes, they’ll also receive a Nintendo Wii, complete with three new games.
• And if they can bring the Hairpin out of the Temple before three minutes expires, they’ll win a trip to St. Thomas.

“I can tell these guys want to go to St. Thomas,” says Kirk.  “Let’s see if we can get ‘em there.  Mouthpieces in, are you guys ready?  All right…Olmec, lower your gate.”  Olmec moans gutturally as the Gate is lowered, and the black lights and torches under him go out.

“Set the clock for three minutes, please!”  The clock slams down in the bottom corner, ready to go.

“Ready, Lindsey?” Kirk asks.

“Mm-hmm,” Lindsey says through her mouthpiece.

“On your mark,” begins Kirk, “get set, GO!”

Lindsey dashes off and soon disappears behind Olmec.  She enters the Crypt, where she pulls the book closest to her, opening the door to the Bottomless Pit (2:50).  “Okay, into the Bottomless Pit!” says Kirk as Lindsey progresses into the room.  She grabs the rope and swings across, hitting the doors for both the Geographer’s Study and the Lookout Tower.  However, only the door to the Study opens, so she has to head here.  She enters the room, where she starts looking around for pieces of the map.  “She’s tough—she plays basketball and softball, folks!” narrates Kirk as Lindsey finds Central America and places it on the map (2:29).  “She knows she has to move fast, and she’s doing just that!”  Lindsey finds the southern part of Africa, but stops to also retrieve the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia before placing both pieces on the map.  The sheet blocking the way up to the Lookout Tower flies open, but behind it lurks the first TEMPLE GUARD (2:19).  “Whoa, Temple Guard was behind the door!” says Kirk as Lindsey screams loudly.  “Scared her—scared me!”  Lindsey hands her Pendant over before the Temple Guard moves aside and lets her pass up to the Lookout Tower.  Slowly, Lindsey climbs the ladder into the room, but as soon as she gets her whole body off the ladder, the second TEMPLE GUARD grabs her (2:03)!

“Whoa, Temple Guard!  Go, Joe!”  Joe takes off soon after being told to by Kirk.  Joe begins retracing Lindsey’s path exactly, heading to where she was taken out.  “He’s fast, folks—he came all the way from Texas to be on this show!” says Kirk as Joe swings across the Bottomless Pit.  Joe heads into the Geographer’s Study and quickly climbs the ladder up to the Lookout Tower, emerging in the room soon afterward (1:42).  Joe goes to the telescope and frantically starts turning the knobs on it.  A few seconds later, he yells out “I have not yet begun to fight!”, and the door to the Shaolin Dojo opens (1:32).  “He’s not yet begun to fight, folks—can he fight his way to the Hairpin?” Kirk asks no one in particular.  “He’s right over it now!”  Joe grabs the yin-yang symbol and brings it to the left-hand suit of armor, placing it on the circle on the statue’s chest.  It happens to be the right one, and the door to the Shrine flies open (1:21).  “All right—into the Shrine of the Silver Monkey!” shouts Kirk, and Joe darts into the room.  He grabs all three pieces of the monkey, and brings them back to the front of the room.  He places the base with little trouble (1:09), and quickly finds the way the middle piece fits into it (0:55).  After a bit of trouble getting it to line up properly, he jams the head down, and the doors to both the Lightning Ball Room and the Dark Forest open up.  Joe sees the door leading downward first, however, so he takes this shorter route (0:47).  “Okay, he’s—no, where’d he go?” asks Kirk before Joe is seen emerging from one of the golden doors in the Dark Forest.  “Ah, smart move—he found a shortcut to the Dark Forest!” says Kirk as Joe heads to one of the trees.  “But hopefully, we don’t find any Temple Guards in those trees!”  Joe reaches into the stage-right tree and immediately comes out with a key in his hand.  He heads to the right side of the room and fits the key into one of the magnetic spots there, but nothing happens.  “Try it again!” says Kirk, and when Joe does, the door to the Chamber of the Four Elements opens (0:32).  “Okay, he’s in the room!” shouts Kirk as Joe makes his way to the front part of the room and grabs the ROSE-ADORNED HAIRPIN (0:27).

“He’s got it!” says Kirk.  “All the doors are open now!”  Joe heads out of the Chamber and enters the Jewel Mine.  The camera cuts to Lindsey, who is jumping up and down and screaming like the team’s already won the grand prize.  Joe is next seen entering the lower crawl tube into the Ledges (0:19), and he scrambles through them, clutching the Hairpin for dear life.  He climbs out of the Ledges and races down the stairs and through the Gate to record the win with eleven seconds remaining.

“He did it!” says Kirk as a fanfare of trumpets plays.  Joe holds the Hairpin in the air as Lindsey runs over to hug him.  “He got out with it!  They got it all—they got the sports package, the Wii—they’re goin’ to St. Thomas!”  Lindsey squeals in excitement as Joe claps and smiles.  “That was great—this was a great team!  But now, we’ve gotta get out of here.  We’ll see you next time, though, so remember: it’s not just Legends, it’s Legends: Rebirth!  Buh-bye!”

Kirk, Joe and Lindsey start to chat as the credits roll.  The camera shows an outside view of various rooms of the Temple, including the Dungeon, the Dark Forest and the Chamber of the Four Elements.  Kirk’s ATV is also shown, with the “HDN-TMPL” license plate clearly visible.  Kirk and Joe are seen holding the Rose-Adorned Hairpin in the air as Lindsey continues waving, and the Stone Stanley logo appears on the screen.

[The Bandit King]

The Rose-Adorned Hairpin of Laura Bullion
Season 2, Layout 2
Artifact Location: The Chamber of the Four Elements
Team: Blue Barracudas (Joe Williams & Lindsey Gallegos)
Pendants: 1
Result: Escaped! (0:11 left)

Up until recently, having one Pendant during the Temple Run on Rebirth spelled almost-certain doom for the team that makes it that far.  Not so in this episode.  The Moat was over fairly quickly, the Blue Barracudas dominated the Steps of Knowledge, and after a 1-1 tie in the Temple Games, they advanced to the Temple after a tense tiebreaker round.

Lindsey wasn’t the fastest contestant in the world, but she knew what she was doing.  She caught a lucky break in the Crypt, and she also had the (mis?)fortune of meeting two Temple Guards very early in the run—she was taken out with about two minutes to go.

Joe was much faster than Lindsey, and to boot, he also knew his way around the Temple.  He caught a lucky break in the Shaolin Dojo, and put the Silver Monkey together very quickly as well.  However, he smartly noticed that the door to the Dark Forest opened down from the Shrine, so he took this shorter path, probably avoiding the third Guard in either the Lightning Ball Room or the Dungeon.  He grabbed the Rose-Adorned Hairpin with a healthy 27 seconds left, and made it out about twenty seconds later to record the win.

Joe and Lindsey were very strong in all four rounds, and successfully avoided the third Temple Guard during their tenure in the Temple, effectively breaking the long-standing "one-Pendant curse".  Will this continue in later episodes?  Only time will tell.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Notes and Trivia: This is only the fourth one-Pendant win on Legends: Rebirth, and the first one involving the Blue Barracudas.

[The Ancient Warrior]

Whoo, that was a mad dash at the end!

Since we were discussing the issue of realistic pacing in Temple Runs, I have to mention that this run seemed a tad more plausible than the one before.  The final portion after grabbing the Hairpin might have been a little quick, but otherwise not bad at all (Joe's entrance was especially well-paced in comparison to Kofi's in the episode before, IMO).

Otherwise, I feel like the legend didn't quite do enough to "show" Laura's supposed equal footing with the guys of the Wild Bunch (it was only discussed by others, but she didn't demonstrate), and that did detract from it a little as far as legends go.  But the Temple Games made up for it by being pretty darn exciting, including the tough tiebreaker.  Not my favorite episode, but it wasn't too bad either.